


Misadventures in Roleplaying

by xxoceanswavesxx



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Based off a Game Cutscene, Carapace trying to be a bro, Chameleon Salt, Chat Noir Being Chat Noir, Just a little bit of Chameleon Salt, Ladybug likes the team bonding but still needs everyone to be responsible, Miraculous Holder Kagami, Other, Queen Bee is not amused, Rena Rouge brings snacks later, Roleplay taken too seriously, Silly shenanigans, Viperion is just along for the ride, everyone keeps their miraculous, ml leaks, season 3 leaks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-09-23 06:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17074823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxoceanswavesxx/pseuds/xxoceanswavesxx
Summary: Chat Noir and Carapace decide to show new hero, Viperion, the ropes. Queen Bee is not impressed. Scenario based off a cutscene from Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island. Story originally posted on my Tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is reposted from my Tumblr account, you can read the original post here: http://scarfninja1795.tumblr.com/post/181083950219/misadventures-in-roleplaying

Never has Queen Bee enjoyed free reign over her powers than when she first received (well,  _took_ ) her miraculous after the defeat of Style Queen. Throwing her spinning top, she flies from building to building, with a sharp eye looking out for the first signs of trouble. 

It’s usual business for the people of Paris at lunchtime - kids going home to eat, business people meeting up for lunch at restaurants, and surely, Hawkmoth still at large, plotting his next akuma. Chloe might have gone home for a well-deserved meal herself, but with Ladybug allowing them responsibility over their miraculouses, Chloe takes advantage of all her free time to get used to it, no matter how boring and normal everything appeared.

Though something  _does_ catch her attention. Carapace and the new hero, Viperion, standing near the fountain in the park, their arms crossed, and both generally staring off in the same direction. She hadn’t really introduced herself to the snake-themed hero by this point, so what would be a better time than now than to change that? She leaps over to the park, landing just in front of the fountain, much to the surprise of the two boys.

“Hello, boys.”

“Oh, it’s Queen Bee,” Carapace answers flatly.

“What is  _that_ supposed to mean?” she demands, pulling out her spinning top in a defensive position.

Viperion bites back a laugh as Carapace clears his throat awkwardly. “Uh, sorry. But we’re actually in the middle of practice right now, so can you come back later or something?”

She lowers her spinning top, rolling her eyes. “Practicing what? Standing around, looking bored?”

“Hahaha! Sure, you had a great landing, Queen Bee! But  _mine_ will be absolutely  _purrr-fect_!”

She must be getting better with her abilities, because the moment she hears that booming laugh, she immediately activates her ability and jabs the pouncing figure, who collapses to the ground, only his face sticking up. Unfortunately, she realizes she messed up, 

“Chat Noir, it’s just you,” Queen Bee sighs, retracting her spinning top. “What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?” He only groans in response, looking to Carapace and Viperion for… approval? It’s hard to say when his face is completely stuck and he’s groaning. Still, as painful as the after effects of Venom must be, she doesn’t appreciate being ignored. “Hey, answer my question!”

“I wouldn’t call it your shining moment, dude,” Carapace says, “The laugh was a bit more out of a supervillain’s playbook, don’t you think?” At the sight of Viperion nodding his head in agreement, Chat groans even further, practically sobbing on the spot. 

“Well, I guess it’s my turn. Make sure to take notes, bro,” Carapace says, heading to the entrance of the park with a triumphant smile. Whatever he’s planning, he’s under the impression that he’s going to do much better than Chat’s attempt.

“I’m sure it’ll be a performance I can’t turn away from,” he chuckles.

“Okay,” Queen Bee huffs, marching right up to him, “Do either one of you want to explain just  _what_ is going on?”

Chat mumbles something from behind the two of them. Unfortunately, Venom still hasn’t worn off by this point,  so she has absolutely no idea what he’s trying to say. As if reading her mind, Viperion quickly answers, “I think he’s trying to say that he and Carapace are showing me the ropes.”

“…How? By roleplaying in the park?”

“Sort of?” he shrugs, “He said in a time of need, I needed to have a big heroic entrance planned. He thinks I lack presence, so he and Carapace offered to show me.”

She snorts, glancing back over at Chat Noir.  _Lacks presence_? She know for fact that it’s code for something else, namely his jealousy. “If by presence, you mean showing up in the most ridiculous, obnoxious way possible while launching puns at a relentless pace throughout battle, than you should be glad that you’re lacking. Besides, I think you have a little something that kitty over there just wishes he could get his paws on.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“Ladybug’s attention.”

He quirks an eyebrow, opening his mouth to implore more, but he’s cut off by Carapace’s yell as he lands in front of the three of them, “Can’t have a party without your boy, Carapace!” He pauses for a moment, staring at the three of them, as his face falters, “Um, uh, i-is everyone okay? Like  _shell_  I’d let anyone get hurt on my watch!”

“ _Ugh_ ,” she groans, faking a retching sound, “Did you even try to come up with a better use of that pun, or did you just give up after five seconds?” Viperion just laughs at the two of them, as Chat Noir finally stands up, his legs shaking as he walks up to the two of them, and his voice croaking.

“Y’know, Carapace, a hero shouldn’t stutter or forget his lines.”

The turtle remains quiet, only staring at the three of them. Queen Bee swears she sees him nod his head with a sly smile before returning to his indignant look and saying, “Can it bro! Let go of that righteous old lady!”

“Um,  _excuse you_?” she demands, “First,  _you_  give me a heart attack,” she says while jabbing Chat Noir in the chest with her finger, before turning around to point at Carapace, “And now  _you_ want me to pretend to be old and wrinkly? Ridiculous,  _utterly_ ridiculous!”

“Um, Queen Bee?” Viperion suggests, “I think they want you to say, ‘Help me, Carapace! I’ve been caught and he won’t let me go!’“

“Gross! I’m not going to say that garbage!”

“ _Help me, Carapace_!” Chat Noir cries in the highest pitched voice he can muster, “ _I’ve been caught and he won’t let me go!”_

“You don’t even  _sound_ like an old lady. Are you even taking this seriously?”

Rolling his eyes, Chat Noir sighs in defeat. “You know, forget it guys. This was the  _bee’s knees_  and all, but then QB just had to show up and poison the hive.”

“ _What_ did you say?” she growls, “You’re the ones who wanted to waste time with pointless entrances when you could have been patrolling!”

“Yeah, let’s find somewhere else to train Viperion,” Carapace suggests, not even bothering to look at her to acknowledge her comment, “Maybe after school?”

Viperion nods, the only one to spare her even the smallest of glances, “I think I’ve got a place in mind. I’ll meet you guys later then.”

The three heroes fly off, leaving her alone in the park to stew in her rage. “Ugh, whatever! I’m about to transform back  _anyway._ Good riddance!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for IChatNotDealWithThis and Siena Maiu. More at the end.

Queen Bee yawns as she flies all the way back to the rooftop of Le Grand Paris. The afternoon session of school was always the least interesting part of the day, since it meant enduring hours between lunch and after school activities, aka the parts of the day that required the least amount of attention from her. It also helped that it was during these points in the day she could avoid listening to perfect, smug little Lila and her  _ oh so  _ perfect weekend at brunch with her  _ supposed _ best friend Ladybug or whoever sounded the most relevant that week.

 

Whatever. Chloe knew for a fact that Ladybug would never pick self-important Lila to be her best friend. In the little time that they had spent on duty, Ladybug made it clear that she kept her relationships while masked strictly professional. It was for the safety of the entire city. It was then that she understood why Ladybug seemed a bit standoffish the first couple of times Chloe was targeted by akumas, but hopefully now that she was also a hero, things were starting to change.

 

Perhaps they could spend the day getting facials and having girl time, even if they had to do so masked. Chloe wasn’t entirely fond of the fox girl, Rena Rouge, but if Ladybug picked her as a part of the team, she had to at least give her the benefit of the doubt. It wouldn’t be too bad to get to know her teammates and maybe even become…  _ friends _ .

 

The moment she walks over to the pool, she begins to regret that idea.

 

“You have  _ got  _ to be kidding me,” she moans, “What are  _ you  _ guys doing here?”

 

Chat Noir is relaxing on one of the loungers, one hand propped behind his head while the other holds what appears to be a smoothie. An obnoxiously large pair of sunglasses covers his mask, despite the fact that the sun isn’t even that strong for midday. He looks entirely pleased with himself in that moment, as if he takes great pleasure in Queen Bee’s dismay.

 

Viperion is on his left, sitting at the very edge of his seat while he fiddles with a ukulele. He looks up to give Queen Bee a brief nod, before resuming his playing. 

 

“Hey, QB,” Chat finally says after a particularly long sip from his smoothie and lowering the shades down his face, “Glad you could make it.”

 

“Well,  _ yeah _ , it’s  _ my  _ roof,” she points out, “What makes you think you can just come up here and trespass?”

 

He shrugs. “Viperion here thought it would be a good idea.”

 

Queen Bee glances over at Viperion, still lost in his music, and scoffs. “ _ Please _ . As if you actually expect me to believe that. He’s not the type to do that,  _ unlike  _ you.”

 

“Actually, he’s telling the truth,” the snake hero says, only looking up to see her jaw drop. Satisfied with her reaction, he returns his attention to his playing.

 

“ _ What _ ?  _ Why _ ?”

 

“Well-”

 

Before he can finish, something, or rather,  _ someone _ , emerges out of the pool and flips into the air, landing on the diving board. With water still dripping off of his hood, Carapace poses at the edge with his arms folded over his chest, smiling as if he received a score of all tens from imaginary judges.

 

“Emerging from the depths of the deepest ocean, he’s lean, he’s mean, and  _ he’s green _ ! Aw, yeah! It’s ya boi, Carapace, and I’m here to show you one  _ shell  _ of a time!”

 

The reactions from the three vary quite differently. Chat Noir’s face practically lights up like a Christmas tree, coming to the realization that Carapace has finally emerged as a proper rival and bro. Queen Bee swears that she sees him trying to fight back tears of pride, and can only sniffle in approval. Viperion looks mildly amused, playing a small jingle after Carapace finishes his line and gives a finishing gesture.

 

Queen Bee only has one thing on her mind as she watches this unfold.

 

“ _ Ugh _ , you guys are  _ still  _ doing this? And on  _ my  _ roof?”

 

Carapace gives a small bow, smiling both at Viperion and Chat Noir, and barely acknowledging Queen Bee, even as she glares at him. Chat has the audacity to get out of his seat, giving a small round of applause and fold his arms as he gets closer to her.

 

“Well, we figured since you sabotaged our last meeting, you could at least let us make it up by practicing in your secret lair,” he explains.

 

“I didn’t  _ sabotage _ your practice,” she scoffs, “You tried to make me an old lady  _ without  _ even asking if I wanted to be involved! If I  _ have  _ to be dragged into  _ your _ roleplays, I at least want to be a cute, rich girl that gets saved by a cool hero, not somebody’s grandma.”

 

“Wait,  _ that  _ was your issue?”

 

“Well, also playing around and wasting time while we were supposed to be patrolling.”

 

“Playing isn’t necessarily wasting time,” Viperion chimes in, “Children use play as means of understanding how the world works and acting out various scenarios to learn and grow.”

 

Chat and Queen Bee exchange a surprised look, before looking back at Viperion. As expected, he returns to his ukulele, almost as if he hadn’t said anything at all, and leaving the two of them stunned in silence. By this point, Carapace has walked off of the diving board, toward them, and slings an arm over Chat Noir’s shoulder.

 

“Alright, dude, let’s see if you can top that.”

 

“Are you kidding? I have the _purr-fect_ landing in mind.”

 

“Oh my god, that’s not funny,” Queen Bee groans, “And all of you seriously can’t be thinking I’m going to let you stay here at  _ my  _ place for your silly little practice!”

 

“You know what? You’re right Queen Bee,” Carapace nods, “We can’t just crash at your place.”

 

Queen Bee can’t help but grin at this. Finally, they were going to leave, and she could have some  _ me  _ time. 

 

But then she catches Carapace shooting an all knowing grin toward Chat Noir. 

 

“At least,  _ not  _ without snacks!”

 

“Oh, I’m guessing I’m right on time then!”

 

Rena Rouge lands on the balcony with a graceful hop. In her hand, she holds a brown bag labelled “Boulangerie Patisserie” and hands it over to Carapace. All three of the boys’ light up and crowd over the bag, as if they hit some mystical jackpot.

 

“Sorry it took so long, cutie,” she says, patting Carapace’s face, “The line was longer than usual.”

 

“It’s not a problem,” he sighs, reaching into the bag for a croissant. “These are always worth the wait.”

 

“Hey, aren’t these from the bakery ran by the Dupain-Chengs?” Viperion interrupts, taking the bag from Rena, “My sister and her friend love their cookies, but I’ve never had anything but sweets from there.”

 

“Aw, man, they’re the best!” Chat exclaims, shoving his hand into the bag and grabbing three sweet buns, “I heard that they’re expanding the menu to include sesame cakes and egg custard tarts just in time for Lunar New Year!”

 

Queen Bee merely sighs and rolls her eyes. She only hopes that the conversation around that family will end soon enough. Though her behavior toward and opinion of Marinette Dupain-Cheng has considerably softened as of late, she knows she’d be lying if she said she considered herself a fan of the girl. She doesn’t even know her teammates that well, and they all know for a fact that this would be the case. Still, she convinces herself to hold her tongue on the matter. Ladybug would be disappointed if she heard her dissing civilians with the mask on. 

 

Rena and Carapace, on the other hand, exchange an all knowing smile, before returning their attention back to Chat Noir. “Oh, really?” Rena asks, “And how would you happen to know that?”

 

“I… happen to visit their bakery quite a bit?”

 

The fox and turtle snicker to each other, and Queen Bee can only roll her eyes at the whole exchange. Whatever it is those two are thinking, it’s probably going to give her a headache. One thing that does catch her interest is the weird look Viperion gives the rest of them. It’s brief, and she barely catches it, but it seems a bit uncharacteristic of him. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t interested in knowing what his deal was.

 

“Anyway, it’s time to get this show on the road,” Chat says, scarfing down the rest of his croissant, “I’ve had this entrance in mind for a while, and I know it’s going to be  _ purr-fect _ .”

 

Queen Bee sighs. “If it’s anything like your last entrance, I hope you’ve learned to land on your feet.”

 

“Uh, last time was  _ your  _ fault. I would have landed that if you  _ didn’t  _ attack me.”

 

“ _ Oh, buzz off _ -”

 

Before she can finish her thought, her transformation comes undone, Pollen floating at her side with the cheeriest, most carefree smile Chloe has ever seen. 

 

“Greetings, fellow miraculous holders,” she says, “Welcome to my queen’s humble abode! Ooh,” she says, seeing the brown bag, “And you brought treats! What kind guests!” she flies over, peering over the bag, “Might I have one?”

 

“Oh, of course, sweetie,” Rena says, petting the top of her head, “We were just going to finish them up while we work on our heroic entrances and dramatic lines.”

 

“Ooh, my Queen, we should show them what we’ve been practicing!” Pollen says excitedly.

 

“ _ Pollen _ !”

 

Everyone gives Chloe smug, all-knowing looks and she immediately wishes it was possible to disappear just like Sabrina did as the Vanisher. She wants to yell at Pollen for sharing such a forbidden secret, but the bee kwami only stares at her with a kind smile and puppy dog eyes. It wouldn’t be fair to get scold her when she meant well. Chloe could talk to her later in private about it.

 

Besides, it  _ would  _ be a good opportunity to show off to that  _ dork  _ Chat Noir who was truly the best at superhero posing.

 

“Well,” she says, regaining some composure, “I  _ suppose _ I can let you stay for a little while longer and play along. As long as  _ no one  _ typecasts me as some sort of old lady.”

 

Carefully, she walks over to the four heroes, taking her seat next to Viperion. She may know him the least well, but it was a safer bet than sitting next to the googly-eyed couple. Yuck. That’s one thing she isn’t going to tolerate for Pollen’s sake. Thankfully, the bee kwami doesn’t seem to take any issue with it, and simply flies back and forth between the pastry bag and her holder’s side, waiting for Chat to make his big entrance.

 

By the time the session concludes, everyone has a good laugh and all agreed to meet back up on the balcony again for practice the next day. Chat even promises to get Ladybug to come and see all of their hard work and bonding. That is, until Carapace suggests that they keep it a secret and catch their enemies off guard when entering battle. 

 

Heading inside her room, Chloe smiles and hums happily to herself, until she realizes she made a massive mistake.

  
“ _ Why _ did I agree to that!?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what was originally planned to just be a one-shot is going to be a multi chapter thing thanks to comments made by IChatNotDealWithThis and Siena Maiu. You both had "what-if" scenarios that I thought would be entertaining as a follow up, though I decided that Marinette/Ladybug would show up in a later chapter. I still wanted a nod to her, so that's why I had Rena Rouge appear with the snacks instead. 
> 
> How long will this be? I don't know yet. I have some ideas for at least another chapter or two. As for when this takes place in the canon, I would say it takes the season three leaks into account (Luka being Viperion obviously, but also mentions of the new kwamis and combined transformations) but no new reveals happen. SO for the record:  
> \--> Marinette knows everyone's identity EXCEPT for Chat Noir's.  
> \--> Everyone knows Queen Bee's identity.  
> \--> Luka doesn't know anyone's identity (except for Chloe)  
> \--> Alya and Nino know each other's identities, but not Ladybug or Chat Noir's.  
> \--> Chloe doesn't know anyone's identity.  
> \--> Chat Noir only knows Queen Bee's identity
> 
> Basically all the same information as in canon, except throwing Luka into the mix.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now featuring Mouse!Kagami.

She doesn’t want to admit to it, but Chloe starts to get used to the heroes showing up on her roof to practice their heroics. The boys are almost always there before she is, Chat Noir and Carapace trying to show each other off, while Viperion sits back and accompanies their entrances with dramatic music. Rena Rouge always shows up later with bags of goodies from the Dupain-Chengs (and much to Chloe’s horror, she starts to find that the croissants are unfairly, ridiculously  _ good _ , but she’ll never tell that to Marinette). 

 

Eventually, word slips out to Ladybug, who decides to take advantage of the situation rather than condemning everyone for spending their time there. So this particular afternoon, everyone gathers on the rooftop awaiting her arrival, with Chat Noir suspiciously missing. Everyone else sits around awkwardly, awaiting for his arrival, including the new hero.

 

Chloe deduces that this must be the new mouse miraculous holder, judging from the mouse ear headband she dons. Since her black hair is shorter than Multimouse’s, Chloe figures it’s to make up for the lack of buns. The suit isn’t really a suit, it’s more like a dorky uniform ripped from the Disney Musketeers movie Adrien made Chloe watch when they were five. Her gloves and boots are black with pink cuffing, while the boxy uniform is gray, outlined with pink. As a finishing touch, there’s a pink rose in the center of the uniform, for whatever reason. 

 

“It’s not like him to be late like this,” Ladybug muses, “I hope he’s not in any trouble.”

 

“I’m sure it’s not a big deal,” Rena Rouge says, “He’s probably just checking to make sure no one followed him here. It’s not like this place is low key and I bet attracts a lot of danger.”

 

Chloe can’t help but feel resentment towards that. “Hey, I will have you know,  _ fox _ , that this hotel is one of the safest in the entire city. The only reason it’s been attacked as much as it has is because of Hawkmoth, and we all know that it’s ridiculous to expect the police or even the world’s greatest bodyguards to handle something of his caliber.”

 

Rena merely rolls her eyes in response, whispering something to Carapace, and avoiding looking her in the eye.

 

“What?” Chloe demands.

 

“Nothing.”

 

The mouse hero looks to Ladybug, and whispers something Chloe can’t make out. Ladybug laughs nervously in response, rubbing the back of her neck. Crossing her arms over her chest, Chloe takes another moment to study the girl. She isn’t slow to notice Chloe’s impeding glance and returns it with one of her own, and a sly little smile while she’s at it. A small burning sensation touches Chloe’s cheeks, but she refuses to acknowledge it as a blush.

 

Chloe Bourgeois does  _ not  _ blush around cute girls. 

 

Except maybe for Ladybug, but she’s an exception.

 

To get the thought out of her head, Chloe lets out an exasperated sigh. “Oh my god, when is he going to get here already?”

 

“Is that a cat call I hear?”

 

Chloe groans, clutching her forehead. The last time they “trained” together, she spent most of the session advising him  _ not  _ to go with “I’m Being Catcalled” as his entrance of choice. It was tacky, ridiculously cliched and completely predictable. Only a complete child would have gone with that plan.

 

But despite her warnings, Chat Noir leaps up from his pole, performing a flip, and landing neatly in front of them all. He gives them all a triumphant smirk before declaring, “A catcall for help from Chat Noir? No problem! I’ll make sure to put the  _ me-owtch _ on the enemy!”

 

If it’s possible, Chloe wishes in that moment for a truck or a plane or whatever to fall from the sky and crush her on the spot. It’s not the pun that kills her. Puns are great when done  _ correctly _ . But in the few hours she’s spent with Chat Noir, she has come to realize that he is slowly killing the pun dictionary and just making up everything as he goes along. 

 

Judging from her expression, Ladybug seems to agree, sighing.

 

“Chat?”

 

“Yes, m’lady? Were you impressed?”

 

“What did I tell you about puns?”

 

He smiles awkwardly whilst staring at her for the longest time. He then looks to all of the other heroes for help, but Chloe only smirks in return. 

 

“Um, nothing?”

 

She clears her throat. “ _ When  _ pairing with a grand entrance,  _ puns must have purpose _ ,” she shakes her head, “And in front of our new hero too.”

 

“ _ Me _ -owtch, m’lady,” Chat says, pressing a hand against his chest, “You wound me so!”

 

“That was better, if a bit predictable,” she laughs, “Anyway, I’d like to introduce everyone to our new mouse hero.”

 

“Mousketeer,” the hero says with a small nod, “It’s nice to finally meet all of you.”

 

“Nice to meet you too. Are you taking Multimouse’s place?” Chat asks.

 

“Oh, yeah,” Ladybug interrupts, laughing nervously, “Multimouse said she had a lot going on in her life at the moment, kind of like Aspik. So they’re only to be called on in a worst case scenario, okay?”

 

Chat laughs in agreement, with the same level of nervousness as her. Almost everyone seems confused by the gesture, but says nothing for the moment. Chloe briefly catches Viperion studying the two of them with the most curious look, but just as quickly as she catches it, his expression reverts to neutrality.

 

Not that she cares about who it is, but she wonders if Viperion suspects the true identities of Multimouse and Aspik. If so, she supposes she wouldn’t mind knowing either.

 

“Now,” Ladybug says, clearing her throat, “I wanted to take this chance to have everyone go out in groups and patrol. I appreciate that you’ve all been bonding up here with practice, but we need more street presence to keep everyone’s morale up too. So, who wants to volunteer?”

 

Before anyone else can speak up, Mousketeer approaches Ladybug and says, “Seeing as this is my first day on the job, I believe I should go. My time would be best spent getting to know my abilities and surroundings.”

 

“Um, okay,” she says, scanning the rest of them. “Now who should I have go with you?”

 

Chloe makes it a point to not get too excited over other people, unless they’ve really earned a place in her heart. Adrien and Ladybug were two such people, and no one, in her eye, could ever compare to the two of them. But how could she not? Adrien was practically her lifeline as a kid, and Ladybug practically changed her life. Not to be sappy, but Chloe is certain she’d always remain eternally grateful for those two.

 

Maybe it’s because she wants to impress Ladybug, or have her think the world of her, then, that Chloe opens her mouth to say, “I’ll do it.”

 

There’s a collective, studious glance that lands on her after she says this. Ugh, as if she can’t be taken at face value? Mousketeer and Viperion have the most curious glances, whereas Rena Rouge and Carapace are the most suspicious, crossing their arms over their chests.

 

Chat Noir breaks into a smirk. “Never thought our Queen Bee would want to train a soldier in our army.”

 

Chloe rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I just don’t feel like having to watch you practice ‘Operation Fake Out’ again, okay? A girl can only handle so much of…  _ that  _ in a given week.”

 

“Well, Queen Bee,” Ladybug says, patting her on the shoulder, “I’m glad to see you stepping up to the plate. You can just start by showing her the general spots we keep an eye on, and reminding her of where all the major akuma alert stations are.”

 

“Think you can handle it?” Chat teases.

 

Queen Bee scoffs, looking to Mousketeer, who looks equally unimpressed with the taunt. “As if. This will be  _ easy _ . Now come on,” she says to the mouse hero, “We’re losing light, and I don’t look as great under the moon.”

 

With spinning top and jump rope in hand, Queen Bee and Mousketeer descend into the city, expecting a fairly straight forward patrol for the rest of the day. Mousketeer at first glance seems like a straight laced person that takes everything seriously.

 

Chloe would just have to make sure to make things a bit more exciting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know everyone is expecting for Kagami to get the dragon miraculous, but when we got the leaks, I thought it would be hilarious if she ended up being an alternate holder for the mouse instead. Her name is Mousketeer, which I know isn't the most original, but I wasn't entirely sure what the best Japanese translation for that might be? Like if I combined nezumi (rat) and jūshi (musketeer), I'd get something like Nezūshi, but I don't know enough Japanese to go with that confidently. 
> 
> Also? Trying to conceive of her outfit? Took forever. This is why I'm not a character designer, or any kind of artist for that matter. Like, I decided on her name ahead of time, and it took me like three hours to think of her being a literal mouse-musketeer. I'm so hopeless, I swear.
> 
> So next chapter is going to be some Queen Bee and Mousketeer bonding. I was going to leave it in this chapter, but I decided to split it instead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Chloe rants about Marinette not being selfish enough, and then tries to be selfless. Mousketeer is fascinated but confused.

Chloe never quite gets used to the feeling of wind rushing past her as she flies around the city. She’s used to imagining herself with Godiva hair, floating about mystically and awing everyone in her presence. The people in the city below her were nothing more than worker ants, unaware of how their Queen Bee was hard at work to keep them safe. But if they were to look up, they would see something truly magical.

 

Instead, her ponytail just bounces up and down behind her, some strands of hair getting caught in her eyes and mouth.

 

So maybe she's  _not_ the embodiment of movie magic. But she is closer to living the dream than the rest of them.

 

Mousketeer has no problem keeping up with her, and she can’t help but assume it’s because of natural athletic ability. Each step she takes might as well be a leap, and she's so quiet, Chloe forgets that she's even there most of the time. If it were safe to ask, Chloe would interrogate her about what sport she does in real life and consider joining in on it with her.

 

Not that she wants this girl thinking they're going to be best friends. Just because she was cute, didn't mean she was winning Chloe's attention. Shaking the thought from her head, Chloe lands on the ground and leads Mousketeer to the first area of the tour.

 

"This," Chloe gestures with arms wide, "Is the park. Over there," she points to the bakery, "Is where we usually get snacks. I suppose it's alright."   
  


"Doesn't sound like you're a big fan."   
  


Damn, so she noticed that. Well, it isn't as though Chloe is attempting to be subtle, so she just rolls her eyes and scoffs.   
  


"Let's just say I have some history with the girl whose parents run the shop."   
  


Chloe would consider herself talented in many areas, but the art of dealing with awkward silences is not one of them. Why should she have to? She embraces even the dorkiest aspects of herself as endearing, with nothing awkward about it.   
  


But uneasiness overwhelms her as Mousketeer's studious gaze roams over her. The worst part is that her expression remains entirely blank, so Chloe can't judge what she's thinking.   
  


"What?"   
  


"You know Marinette Dupain-Cheng."   
  


"Ugh, yes, I'm in the same class with that goody two shoes," she sighs.   
  


"You don't like her?"   
  


"Well, I'm not her biggest fan or anything, if that's what you mean," Chloe retorts. Normally, she doesn't care what she sounds like in front of complete strangers, but she supposes she could be on better behavior. Set a good example for the new recruit. "I just think she could stand to be a bit more selfish."   
  


The mouse hero raises an eyebrow at this, a wry smile creeping on her face. "Interesting to hear a hero say that. Not that I'm disagreeing with you, I think one should pursue their goals ruthlessly. But what gives you that impression?"   
  


Ugh, what _doesn't_ give her that impression? There's too many stories to recount! "Well, it's true. Doing too many nice things for people will only cause them to take advantage of you."   
  


"Are you speaking from personal experience?"   
  


"I'm just _saying_ ," she harrumphs, "Like for example, this Lila girl in our class. She made a big deal about needing a seat in the front to the point that everyone's seat got rearranged and Dupain-Cheng got stuck in the back. When she tried to protest, everyone got mad at her for 'upsetting" Lie-la and then accused her of being jealous, just to make her back down," she scoffs, "Which is utterly ridiculous. Who would be jealous of that loser? It's not like Adrikins likes her."   
  


Mousketeer's smirk curves into something a bit more curious. "Adrikins?"   
  


"Only the most gorgeous, rich boy in our entire class. Of course, the two of us go back to diapers," she sighs, "Everyone knows that Dupain-Cheng has a major crush on him, except for him. Rumors are that she agreed to 'chaperone' his date with another girl because she wanted him to be happy. Or so I've heard." She realizes it wouldn’t really be behooving of a hero to explain that she had Sabrina eavesdrop on several classmates’ conversations to get the gossip. Before, it was merely for the potential to gain blackmail, but now it’s just a bad habit she’s yet to break.

 

Maybe she’s just too nosy.

 

Still, Chloe can't help but stew in her outrage. She'd have called out Lila herself, if she had any actual chance of winning that fight. But of course, Chloe knew for a fact that no one would believe her if she accused Lila of being a liar, and so she was stuck watching from the sidelines until Marinette grew a spine and exposed her. Damn, did she want those receipts. But no, Marinette had to appease everyone again and let everything be. 

 

Ugh, she doesn't want to think about this now.

 

For a moment, Mousketeer's expression is unreadable, but Chloe catches the slightest scrunch of her nose. Her lips curl inward, and she can't help but admit that it's... kind of cute?   
  


"I see," she finally says, "Well, thank you for indulging me, but we really should be getting back to training, shouldn't we?"   
  


Chloe clears her throat, nearly losing her footing. "It's not like I've forgotten. A-Anyway-"   
  


"Wow, guys, look, it's Queen Bee!"   
  


Before they know it, three boys, no older than seven, surround the two heroes from below. The one in the middle, a boy with brown skin and a green Carapace t-shirt, regards her with starry eyes, especially at the sight of her spinning top.    
  


"No way! I'm your biggest fan!"   
  


"Hey, that's not true! I'm her biggest fan!"

 

“Now, now, everyone,” Queen Bee says, patting both of their heads, “There’s no need to argue over me. Queen Bee is here to save  _ everyone _ , after all!”

 

“Hey, can we see your spinning top?” one of the boys asks, “My dad got me one just like it, but seeing the real thing is way cooler!”

 

There’s the slightest twitch of Mousketeer’s mouth, threatening to smirk as Chloe’s face deflates. Between the naive, happy looks of the boys and Mousketeer’s amusement at the entire situation, Chloe isn’t sure how she’s able to contain her outrage. Here, they have the chance to interact with a  _ real  _ superhero, and they’re more impressed with her spinning top?

 

“I suppose I am learning a lesson here today,” Mousketeer retorts, “One in humility.”

 

Holding the most venomous smile she can in place, she regards the mouse heroine through the side of her eyes. “ _ Shut. Up.” _

 

“My, such language. Should you really be speaking like that in front of your greatest fans?”

 

“Hey, Queen Bee,” one of the boys asks, tugging on her belt, “Who is this mouse lady?”

 

“It’s Multimouse, right?”

 

“Nuh-uh! Multimouse has buns in her hair! This hero has mouse ears!”

 

“Oh, you’re right!”

 

“Wait, are they real?”

 

Once again, peeking from the side of her eyes, Chloe can’t help but stare at the ears and ponder the same thing. For that matter, she’s always wonders if it’s the same case for Chat Noir. Are the ears part of the costume, or, when they transform, do they in part fuse with their kwami? Perhaps, she will ask Pollen once they undo the transformation, but she certainly cannot ask Mousketeer, especially in front of all these children.

 

“Who even are you?” one of the boys finally asks, “And what have you done with Multimouse?”

 

“Woah, slow down, pal,” Chloe interjects, “Multimouse is fine, she just-”

 

“She’s my sister,” Mouseketeer intervenes, “She’s very studious and asked me to take over for her until things calmed down in school, though.”

 

“Oh, that makes sense,” the kids mumble amongst themselves. Chloe, however, is not convinced. But she supposes the smart thing is to go along with her new partner’s story. Regardless of whether or not it was true.

 

After all, Queen Bee  _ can  _ be a team player. When she wants to, of course.

 

“Victor! Alexandre! Adam! Come on! We have to go home now!” A young, red-haired woman calls. The boys all sigh, looking to each other, and then back at the heroes.

 

“Man, we didn’t even get to ask them to play with us!”

 

“Yeah! When else are we going to meet real life superheroes?”

 

“Now, now boys,” Mousketeer says, crouching down to them and patting their shoulders, “Just as heroes do, you have your own duties to your guardians, do you not? Go home, do your homework, and listen to the adults, okay?”

 

There’s something quiet and still in their eyes. Disappointment. Yeah, that’s the word she’s looking for. Of course, being the mayor’s daughter, Chloe is used to getting whatever she wants. She asks, her father delivers. Very little has ever gone wrong in her life.

 

Disappointment, she decides, is an utterly ridiculous, unflattering look on everyone. And perhaps that is why she chimes in with, “Besides, we’ll be back to play again.”

 

“You will?”

 

It’s too late to back out now. Mousketeer catches her with a curious look, and the boys all look so hopeful. Ladybug would not be happy if she let them down.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

The boys leave the park in good spirits, and only the two heroines are left remaining.

 

“Why did you promise them that?” Mousketeer asks, folding her arms over her chest, “Surely as heroes, we have more important things to do than entertain children?”

 

Logically speaking, she’s correct. Patrolling the city, as long and boring and thankless as it is, is crucial to their mission. Ladybug would be disappointed if they weren’t keeping up with it.

 

And yet, seeing the looks on those kids’ faces…

 

“Are you doubting me, newbie?” she harumphs, “I know exactly what I’m doing. And if you’re too blind to see it now, trust me, it’ll become crystal clear soon enough.”

 

Even as Chloe flies off into the city, she can feel Mousketeer’s confused gaze stuck on her.

 

(Later, Chloe realizes it's partially because she cut the patrol short, albeit unintentionally).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I really wanted Kagami and Marinette to get along in Frozer. Chloe ranting about Marinette was something I didn't anticipate, but it just kind of happened. So now, Kagami can reassess what happened in Frozer and not be so hard on her.
> 
> I don't want to make predictions about the direction of this story, but I have a feeling that more QB and Mouseketeer interactions are inevitable in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> So the Chameleon salt was strong, and my usual remedy for that is something silly and light. I ended up drawing on one of my favorite cutscenes from my favorite obscure(?) game of all time, Atelier Annie (side note: despite the fact that the scene contains one of my most hated characters in existence, but whatever). I thought it'd be funny to see how Miraculous characters would act in a similar scenario, but I originally thought to use Marinette instead of Chloe. Seeing Chloe want to take the Hero's Day crisis seriously made me change my mind (plus I thought it'd be more in character for Chat and Carapace to respond to her this way).


End file.
